Composite bowl structure



March 8, 1960 P. w. BUECHLER 2,927,700

couPosm: BOWL STRUCTURE F'iied June 28, 1955 INVENTOR.

-P4w. w. ease/a0? United States Patent COMPOSITE BOWL STRUCTURE Paul W. Buechler, Royal Oak, Mich.

Application June 28, 1955, Serial No. 518,559

6 Claims. (Cl. 211-71) This invention relates to a composite container structure in which a number of containers are selectively and detachably mounted on a common support. An exemplary application of the invention is in a household tray of the type used to display and serve confections, tidbits and the like.

An object of this invention is to provide an inexpensive attractive tidbit tray structure having a number of bowls or containers which can be quickly and simply arranged in various combinations for serving and displaying ditferent combinations and quantities of foods.

The invention generally contemplates the use of a number of individual supports for the bowls detachably secured to fasteners on a central supporting hub. The fasteners are arranged in a number of symmetrical groups so that symmetrical clusters of various numbers of bowls can be formed around the hub. One form of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings which may be briefly described as follows:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the device of this invention with two bowls supported by the hub.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the arrangement shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view on a somewhat smaller scale showing four bowls supported on the hub.

Fig. 4 is similar to Fig. 3 but showing three bowls arranged around the hub.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged horizontal section of the hub with two bowl supports secured thereto, this view being taken on line 55 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical section taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on line 77 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the hub with two bowl supports thereon.

Shown in the drawings is a supporting structure 10 for a number of bowls 11, the support including a central hub 12 having an upper member 13 fixed non-rotatably on a handle 14 by a key 15 fitting in a slot 16 in the upper member. An ornamental skirt 18 is provided around handle 14 at the top of hub element 13. A lower hub element 20 is threaded onto the lower end of handle 14 as shown at 21. The hub elements are centrally recessed to form an annular chamber 22 and central annular shoulders 23 and 24 extending around handle 14.

A washer 26 is gripped between shoulders 23 and 24 and extends radially outwardly into chamber 22. Washer 26 is resiliently defiectable axially of hub 12. The hub has a number of radially extending sockets 28 opening into chamber 22 and at the periphery of the hub. Sockets 28 preferably are generally cylindrical in cross section and each has a flat face 29. Upper hub member 13 may be recessed as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 to provide sockets 28 and the top surface of lower hub member 20 may be left flat to provide flat wall 29. Washer 26 has an annular upward projection 30 at its periphery.

Each bowl 11 has an individual support 33 which includes a ring portion 34 engaged in a snug sliding fit around a cylindrical base 35 on the bowl. Each support has an extension 36 having a flat face 37 thereon and being slidably and selectively insertable in sockets 28 so that the end 38 thereof projects into chamber 32 (Fig. 6). Each extension 36 has a notch 39 adjacent its end arranged to engage projection 30 on yieldable washer 26 in a snap-over action, thus providing means for detachably fastening the extensions to the hub. Washer 26 is divided into segments by radial slots 40 to facilitate downward deflection of the plate.

Extensions 36 radiate from hub 13 in the manner of spokes when secured in slots 28. Slots 28 are arranged in a number of symmetrical groups. In the form of the invention illustrated, there is a group of four slots arranged apart and another group of three slots arranged apart. One of these slots, 28a, is common to both groups as shown in Fig. 5. The top face of upper hub member 13 is preferably provided with indicia of the slot locations in the two groups which may conveniently comprise stylized arrows such as triangles 42 and pointers 43.

In use, upper hub member 13, lower hub member 20 and washers 26 are assembled on handle 14 as described. A bowl 11 is fastened in supported relation on hub 12 by inserting base 35 of the bowl in ring portion 34 of a support 33 and by inserting spoke portion 36 of the support into a slot 28 in the hub with fiat face 37 on the spoke engaging fiat upper face 29 of lower hub element 20.

As inner end 38 of the spoke enters chamber 22, it engages projection 30 and deflects plate 26 downwardly as illustrated in broken lines in Fig. 6. Upon continued inward movement of the spoke, projection 30 snaps into notch 39 to detachably secure the spoke within slot 28. Interengagement of flats 29 and 37 prevents rotation of the spoke and bowl relatively to hub 12.

The bowls may be arranged in symmetrical clusters of two, three or four bowls on the hub as illustrated in Figs. 1, 4 and 3, respectively, by selective engagement of supports 33 on hub 12. For a two bowl cluster, supports 33 are engaged in oppositely extending sockets 28 such as those extending horizontally or vertically as the drawings are viewed. For a three bowl cluster the supports are engaged in the sockets arranged 120 from each other. For a four bowl cluster the supports are arranged in all four of the sockets disposed 90 from each other.

Arrows 42 and 43 on the top of upper hub element 13 facilitate rapid and convenient insertion of spokes 36 in selected combinations of slots 28. Handle 14 is, fixed non-rotatably on upper hub member 13 but for clarity of illustration is shown in Fig. 3 in a different rotative position than in Figs. 1 and 4. Bowls 11 may be adjusted rotatively in rings 34 to provide different display effects and to facilitate convenient serving. A support 33 is detached from hub 12 by pulling spoke 36 out of slot 28, plate 26 resiliently deflecting downwardly and disengaging notch 39.

The bowl arrangements may be selectively changed according to the amount or the number of different foods to be served by moving spokes 36 from one group of sockets to another. The bowls, being arranged symmetrically, present an unusual attractive appearance and are balanced with respect to handle 14 to facilitate convenient handling. Bowls 11 may be detached from rings 34 and replaced while spokes 36 are secured on hub 12 to facilitate replenishing a supply of food carried by the device.

I claim:

1. A composite bowl structure comprising, a plurality of bowls, means forming a holder for each bowl, said holder being in supporting relation to said bowl, each holder having a spoke portion, means forming a hub, said hub having an internal annular chamber extending around a generally central portion of said hub, plate means secured to said central portion of said hub and projecting radially therefrom into said chamber, said plate means being resiliently deflectable axially of said ,hub, said hub having a plurality of generally radial sockets extending from said chamber to the exterior of said hub with the inner ends of said sockets opening adjacent edge portions of said plate means, said sockets being angularly spaced apart and being arranged in a plurality of generally symmetrical groups, said spoke portions of said supports being radially slidably insertable through said sockets and into said chamber whereby to form angularly generally symmetrical clusters of selected numbers of bow-ls on said hub, the inner end portions of said spoke portions cooperating to deflect said plate means in an axial direction upon insertion into said chamber, said inner end portions and said plate means being cooperable to detachably secure said spoke portions on said hub.

2. The composite bowl structure defined in claim 1 wherein said sockets and spoke portions are formed to secure said spoke portions against rotation relatively to said hub.

3. The composite bowl structure defined in claim 1 wherein said hub has a first group of four sockets arranged substantially 90 apart and a second group of three sockets arranged substantially 120 apart, one of said sockets being common to both of said groups of sockets.

4. A composite bowl structure comprising, a plurality of bowls, means forming a holder for each bowl, said holder being in supporting relation to said bowl, each holder having a spoke portion, a hub having two elements, a handle having a stem fixed on one of said elements, said stem having a threaded end portion projecting axially of said one hub element, the other of said elements being threaded onto said end portion of said stem, said elements having apposed shoulder portions adjacent said stem and being relieved radially outwardly of said shoulder portions to form an internal chamber around said stem, a plate clamped between said shoulders and having outer portions disposed within said chamber, said plate being resiliently deflectable axially of said hub, at least one of said elements having a plurality of generally radially extending recesses forming sockets extending from said chamber to the exterior of said hub with the inner ends of said sockets opening adjacent edge portions of said plate, said sockets being angularly spaced apart and being arranged in a plurality of generally symmetrical groups, said spoke portions of said supports being radially slidably insertable through said sockets into said chamber, whereby to form angular- 1y generally symmetrical clusters of selected numbers of bowls on said hub, the inner end portions of said spoke portions being operable to deflect said plate in an axial direction upon insertion into said chamber, said inner end portions and said plate cooperating to detachably secure said spoke portions on said hub.

5. The composite bowl structure defined in claim 4 wherein each of said sockets comprises a recess in one of said elements having a generally circular cross section and a generally flat surface on the other of said elements, each of said spoke portions having a generally round sectional shape with a generally flat portion engageable against flat surface, whereby to secure said holders against turning relatively to said hub.

6. A composite bowl structure comprising, a plurality of bowls, means forming a holder supporting each bowl, each holder having a spoke portion, a hub having two elements, a handle having a stem, means securing said elements together on said stem, said elements having apposed shoulder portions-adjacent said stem and being relieved radially outwardly of said shoulder portions to form an internal chamber around said stem, a plate clamped between said shoulders and having outer portions disposed within said chamber, said plate being resiliently deflectable axially of said hub, at least one of said elements having a plurality of generally radially extending recesses forming sockets extending from said chamber to the exterior of said hub with the inner ends of said sockets opening adjacent edge portions of said plate, said sockets beirig angularly spaced apart and being arranged in a plurality of generally symmetrical groups, said spoke portions of said supports being radially slidably insertable through said sockets into said chamber, whereby to form angularly generally symmetrical clusters of selected numbers of bowls on said hub, the inner end portions of said spoke portions being operable to defiect said plate in an axial direction upon insertion into said chamber, said inner end portions and said plate cooperating to detachably secure said spoke portions on said hub.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 150,320 Hills Apr. 28, 1874 716,713 Hughes Dec. 23, 1902 738,673 Graef Sept. 8, 1903 2,029,535 Langel Feb. 4, 1936 2,063,895 Mack Dec. 15, 1936 2,302,737 Bearden Nov. 24, 1942 2,500,694 Matsumoto Mar. 14, 1950 2,672,741 Bernhardt Mar. 23, 1954 2,722,772 Steanes Nov. 8, 1955 

